Shocking Photos Reveal Rare Flat-Headed Cat Deemed ‘Possibly Extinct’ Has Returned After 29 Years

Conservationists in Thailand are celebrating a surprising discovery.

On Dec. 25,  Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, announced that the endangered flat-headed cat has returned to southern Thailand for the first time in 29 years. Flat-headed cats are some of the world’s rarest felines, with just 2,500 remaining in the wild worldwide.

Panthera shared the exciting news alongside Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation ahead of the country’s Wildlife Protection Day.

The organizations supported the revelations with photos of flat-headed cats prowling in southern Thailand. The images were obtained from camera traps deployed in the Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in southern Thailand.

The cameras were installed in 2024; before then, the last time flat-head cats had been documented in the area was in 1995. Over two years, the camera traps in the Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary captured footage of flat-headed cats on numerous occasions, including 16 detections in 2025.

One of the cameras’ most thrilling detections was of a female flat-headed cat with her cub. This spotting confirms to conservationists that the elusive species is breeding successfully in southern Thailand.

According to Panthera’s release on the sightings, experts are grateful to have fresh evidence of the animals, as information on the species is difficult to obtain because the cats are small, nocturnal, and live in hard-to-reach areas.

Before the recent findings of flat-headed cats in Thailand, the species was classified as “possibly extinct” in the country, according to Panthera. The organization expects “new Panthera-led IUCN Red and Green List assessments on the species’ status” to be published in 2026. These assessments will include Panthera Thailand’s documentation of the flat-headed cat in southern Thailand.

Thailand’s DNP Director General, Atthapol Charoenchansa, shared in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Rediscovery of the flat-headed cat in southern Thailand is a significant win for conservation in Thailand and the broader Southeast Asia region, where the species is still found. Uncovering the existence of a species once thought lost in the region highlights the dedication and effectiveness of DNP officials in protecting border forests and preserving rare wildlife populations despite challenging political and social circumstances that make conservation work difficult.”

“After nearly three decades, this rediscovery shows what’s possible when science and strong protection come together. This is the result of the DNP’s dedication to safeguarding Thailand’s wetlands and community members’ livelihoods. These habitats are among the most biodiverse and threatened in the country. Yet, they continue to surprise us with their resilience,” Panthera Thailand’s country director, Kritsana Kaewplang, added in a statement.

Flat-headed cats are named for their flattened forehead and elongated skulls, according to Panthera. They are the smallest wild cat in Southeast Asia, often half as light as the average house cat. The species also has webbed toes, which help it function as an apex predator in wetland ecosystems.

The species’ population has declined due to human-induced habitat loss, hunting, pollution of waterways, and the spread of disease from domestic animals.

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“Even species thought to be lost can be rebuilt if we invest in protecting the habitats they depend on. Flat-headed cats’ persistence in Thailand suggests that these ecosystems still hold remarkable biodiversity but also underscores how urgently we must conserve and restore them before they vanish entirely,” Dr. Wai Ming Wong, a Panthera small cat conservation science director, noted.